


Don't Lose Your Head

by albert_al, oops (albert_al)



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alternate Universe - Victorian, Multi, Russian Empire
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-05
Updated: 2019-06-29
Packaged: 2020-02-25 23:54:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,446
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18712273
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/albert_al/pseuds/albert_al, https://archiveofourown.org/users/albert_al/pseuds/oops
Summary: "You have a fine head on your shoulders, Eduard"





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Yay, this fic has been going through my head for... Well a while now. So here we go! This is going to be a ten part fic, I can't promise anything but I will try to update when I can.

_'If only I could go back in time...'_

Eduard thought bitterly.

_'and tell myself to stay clear of that boy, that hooligan'._

He scowled just thinking about his dumb, very punchable face.

_'That damn Gilbert, this is all his fault. I wish I had never met him'._

Maybe he should have known better, at the age of seventeen not to mix with the likes of him. Maybe if he had been older, and a little wiser he could have avoided this entire mess.

However, it was clear to him, that this was all Gilbert's fault.

Before Gilbert came along Eduard was going places, he was among the most gifted scholars in Tartu. Being gifted in several relevant subjects such as music and the sciences and having been so from an early age he had been simply destined to be a top scholar.

At least before Gilbert, that fool.

Eduard had started from the bottom, he clawed his way to the top through sheer force of will.

He wanted to prove everyone wrong, those ladies who gossiped about his origins.

He had been so close, to reaching this goal, so painfully close.

Eduard had almost gained a respectable reputation, he had almost made a name for himself.

Of course, a slight push from a relatively wealthy benefactor had aided in this quest.

Perhaps.

But Eduard was not one to dwell on such minor details as that.

 

Eduard had been an anomaly from the very beginning, born of peasant stock he was the only child in a very poor peasant family, in an equally poor village.

To his recollection, Eduard had no siblings and he had always been the only one.

From an early age, he proved to be somewhat different from the rest. It did not take long for others to catch on, that he was vastly different from the other children. Though he hadn't been aware of it at the time.

This made it very hard for Eduard to make friends of his own age. Oftentimes it was more of a curse than a gift.

When it was time for him to begin working and learning a useful trade, it became apparent that he had no aptitude for any trade whatsoever. His interests very clearly lie elsewhere.

His family was much too poor to provide him with an education, truth be told in their tiny village there was not much education to be had. So he turned to the natural world to satisfy his growing curiosity about the world around him.

His fortunes changed around the age of 11, following an extremely particular set of circumstances.  


At this point, Eduard was somewhat of a local celebrity. News soon spread beyond his village, of a strange and very clever boy. He must have gotten into some sort of mischief. Stories spread, all over the local area. Some of the stories were a tad exaggerated, some of them were completely untrue. Nevertheless, those tales somehow reached the ears of the master.

Mr.Von Bock

Mr. Von Bock was a well-respected man, of the nobility, he and his predecessors had been the owners of Eduard's family, the Metts for around the last 100 years. The specific circumstances are lost to history.

For some strange reason took an interest in him.

So much so, that he pulled up to their small cottage and asked to speak to his parents.

At first, Eduard was extremely confused and he was even more confused when he learned that this strange man had come for him, to discuss his future.

 

“You see Mr. Metts”

Mr. Von Bock cleared his throat.

“I've heard about your son... he has great potential, maybe even the potential to do something extraordinary.”

Eduard's parents had been flattered of course, that someone of such high status took an interest in their son.

After a bit of deliberating, Von Bock, at last, announced the intention of his visit.  

“So I would like to take him, and make him an educated person”

They almost did not believe him at first.

 

“It would be of no cost to you”

Von Bock added.

“All expenses would be taken care of”.

 

Eventually, his parents agreed, and Eduard left the next day.

He bid is parents goodbye for the last time, in the hopes of becoming an educated person, maybe even an extraordinary person.

That was what he was raised to be, from that point forward. Eduard was tutored at Von Bock's expense. He received the best education money could buy, he was taught several languages including many of the sciences.

He was also taught piano, which he proved to have an aptitude for.

He even took on the last name, Von Bock.

Of course, it was quite the scandal among the rest of the nobility. Rumors spread: Mr. Von Bock has taken it upon himself to raise a peasant boy into a scholar. Not only a scholar but a noble.

 

When Eduard came of age, he was accepted into the University of Tartu. That is when his long academic career began.

That is when it should have begun.  

That is where it most definitely would have begun.

Had it not be for a certain Gilbert Beilschmidt.

 

It was stupid really, a harmless prank but it was enough to get him expelled. Eduard does not remember much from that night, he only remembers that he was very drunk.

He also somewhat remembers a bear being involved.

Needless to say, he was dismissed from Tartu and ordered to pack his bags.

Gilbert got away with little more than a slap on the wrist, because of course he did.

 

That was all it took for everything he worked had so hard for to be thrown away.

 

One evening while pondering his fate, a classified caught his eye in the evening paper.

A job offer.

An offer from a certain count Braginsky.

It was perfect.  

He simply could not refuse.

So after a bit of correspondence with the Braginsky estate, the arrangements were made. He was to leave Tartu, for Count Braginsky's estate almost right away.

 

So Eduard bid goodbye to his old life in Tartu; to his beloved roommate Tino, to the university, to the city itself. 

He climbed into a small carriage and escaped into the night.

 

Nothing would be the same.

 


	2. Chapter 2

At first, the carriage was silent, which suited Eduard just fine.

 

He was content fumbling with his papers, getting comfortable, and watching as the streets of Tartu slipped by.

Though could not see much in the darkness he could get an idea through the pale lantern light, it was a beautiful city, vast and rich.

It was just as beautiful at night as it was in the daytime.

And now Eduard was leaving it, possibly forever.

He had come here, to become successful, to become an educated person.

Now he was fleeing in disgrace.

 

The journey ahead would be very long.

He would not reach his destination until late in the afternoon the following day.

That is if everything went according to plan and nothing came up along the way-

 

“How is life in the big city?”

The driver asked, suddenly.

 

Eduard looked up.

“Hmm?”

 

“The big city, how is it?" 

Eduard wasn’t sure how to answer, he wasn’t prepared for small talk.

“Um, busy as always,” he said awkwardly.

He leaned his head through the carriage window to get a good look at the driver.

 

“As always eh?”

The driver grinned, from his silhouette alone one could tell that he was a young man and judging from his accent, a foreigner.

He had long hair, light and well kept, and he seemed to take great care in his appearance, he was cheaply but well dressed.

 

“I’ve always been drawn to the bustle and hustle of the big city,”

He said, seemingly not noticing the awkwardness in the air.

“All of the people, the lights, the-”

He stopped midsentence and left Eduard wondering what exactly he had been about to say and why he stopped before he said it.

 

“What brought you to Tartu?”

Eduard cleared his throat, “I was a student”

“Ah”

 

They carried on in silence, Eduard rustling his papers and organizing them in a way that suited him.

If there was one thing Eduard could not stand, it was a handful of messy and unorganized papers.

They both returned to their tasks.

 

“What are you planning to do at the count’s?”

The question was sudden, and the driver’s voice was uneasy.

 

“Working, the count has generously offered a job”

Eduard quietly wondered, what made the driver ask so incredulously.

 

The driver was oddly silent after this.

Eduard was beginning to feel silently unnerved.

He continued to turn over the question in his mind, why the sudden tension?

Why the unease?

 

“I wish you luck…” The driver paused once again mid-sentence.

Eduard took this as a cue to introduce himself.

 

“Mr.Von Bock, Eduard Von Bock” Eduard interjected, feeling very nervous.

 

“I wish you luck Mr.Von Bock”

 

The way he spoke his name, filled Eduard with dread.

“Thank you”

 

After a while, Eduard felt his eyes grow heavy.

His tiredness and many sleepless nights caught up with him.

 

“Good night,”

He said to the young driver, who smiled and nodded in acknowledgment.

 

“Good night, Mr. Von Bock”

-

When Eduard first awoke the next day, he did not quite know where he was.

The carriage was still moving at a steady pace, now on some bumpy road far in the country.

By the afternoon they would surely reach the count if they kept up this pace.

He rubbed his eyes and yawned.

He could not wait for this ride to be over, his back was killing him.

 

Eduard stuck his head out of the window.

To see a completely different man.

The words died on his lips, and his mind was filled with confusion.

 

He was about to say hello, to the driver the one from the night before.

But the man in front of his eyes was clearly a completely different man.

 

“H-hello,” he said, voice laced with uncertainty. “I-I don't think we’ve met before”

 

The new driver was clearly a different man, he was slightly older and darker.

Not at all well dressed, he wore a faded dark overcoat with patches along the sides.

His hair was short and jet black, not long or light and he did not smirk or grin.

 

He simply stared at the road ahead, no smile, no grin, face slack.

 

“Hello, no I don't think we have met before"

The new driver replied, and said no more.

It was the strangest thing, throughout the rest of the ride Eduard tried to ignore it, to push it into the back of his mind. 

But it was always at the forefront of his thoughts, making the rest of the ride very uncomfortable.

Could he have just been imagining things? 

Could he have been dreaming?

No. Impossible, Eduard did not imagine things.

He was perfectly rational, he was certain he was of sound mind.

 

It began to rain, as they approached their destination so Eduard kept to himself.

 

They came upon a patch of woods, walking upon a hard and unkept path.

He was just about to wonder why they were going so deep into the woods when they came upon a clearing, and a large mansion came into view.

 

The Braginsky estate.

 

They had at long last, arrived.


	3. Chapter 3

The carriage stopped short, and Eduard stretched and climbed out.

He was relieved, it had been a long trip as had been expected.

Though Eduard was in no position to complain, since they made it on time, without… too many surprises.

He gathered his things, his suitcase containing all of his earthly possessions.

 

Eduard would have to face all of this alone.

 

The mansion was a simply enormous, colossal structure that loomed over the tiny patch of woods it sat upon.

It was simply ancient, crumbling and unkempt. Wild ivy grew along the sides slowly returning the old stone structure to nature.

It was by no means impressive, but it inspired such a sense of awe and foreboding that it was almost charming.

It may very well have been charming had it not been for the immense sense of eerie calm the place evoked.

 

Eduard felt an overwhelming sense of dread strike his heart as he began to walk toward the house.

He was almost at the front steps when he realized he had forgotten to thank the driver properly.

 

He turned around, but no one was there.

Strange.

 

He must have been in a hurry to leave, but why?

There was no mistaking it, Eduard was trapped.

He gulped, trying to muster all of his courage and will to knock on the door. That would be the hardest part, surely.

He thought as he walked up to the ancient stone steps to the front door.

Eduard was not one for superstition, but he felt he could not ignore his gut.

 

As he poised his hand to knock, he wondered to himself if he should turn back.

No, that was impossible.

So he knocked.

 

_Knock_

_Knock_

 

At first, there was no response, only silence. An eerie, emptiness, he must have stood out there for god knows how long.

In the cold rain, waiting for a response waiting for the door to open.

 

To stir, or at least anything, anything other than silence.

 

The door creaked open, Eduard prepared himself for anything.

But instead of just anything, he was greeted by a small glimpse of a face.

He did not know who’s face it was, or what the face was attached to.

Only a face, a pretty young face but just a face nonetheless.

They looked at one another, the face blinked and Eduard blinked back.

 

Their eye contact lasted for only a moment, Eduard was confused all the while.

 

He was about to say something, he opened his mouth but barely managed a single word.  

The door then slammed shut before he could say anything.

 

So it was back to silence again.

Eduard stood out there, too stunned to move.

Of all the things he had been preparing himself for it certainly hadn’t been that.

 

The door opened a few minutes later, to reveal not a face and not a boy but a woman.

“Sorry about that”

She said apologetically, the boy peeked out from behind her skirts watching Eduard anxiously.

She was a bright young woman, with a long dress and a short updo and she smiled kindly.

 

“You must be… Eduard?” she said, attempting to make conversation.

Eduard nodded.

“Well, come on in then we’ve been expecting you”.


End file.
